Friday, March 26, 2010

It's a......!

On Wednesday, Thaddeus' school gave him a half-day off to accompany Malachi and I on our second prenatal visit with our Nurse-Midwife. We took a regional bus this time instead of the usual combination of university buses+14 Seoul subway stops, and it was a wise choice. Regional buses are posh (and comparatively private) after riding city buses all the time - and Malachi napped - so it was an enjoyable journey.

When a bus approaches a terminal here, a palpable panic overtakes the passengers. People begin gathering their items, swaying back and forth, up and down aisles, fortressing themselves in front of the door, and casting anxious glances at our intended destination. If we were paratroopers dropping into occupied-France the aura would make sense, but as it is - the bus just stops, and everyone claws their way out within 2 seconds of one another, and then...the bus waits, for about 5 more minutes, with its doors open, before receiving its new load of passengers. So we watch the spectacle from our seat, and leisurely exit last. It's kind of our thing. Getting on a bus is different; that really is a rat-race. So maybe it's habitual.

We arrived in Ansan an hour earlier than our appointment. The weather was mild and the side-walks in Ansan are spacious and accommodating and mostly free of motorbikes and semi-trucks, so we let Malachi meander his way to the clinic.

A group of women gave him a sucker, through a cute little girl proxy. He treasured it, and also the discovery that he has pockets in his sweater made expressly for carrying gifted candy.

He didn't want to pose; he kept squatting and turning away from the camera.



He's observing a black-and-white and slightly blue bird that we've noticed here often lately. The ladies across the way interpret his interest to be in them, however, and are calling to him and clicking at him.

Our appointment went well. During the sonogram, we were able to see the baby's heartbeat, hand-waving skills, and even eye-ball rolling (?). The picture quality and the midwife's explanations were all so clear that Malachi was able to understand and stay interested, which was gratifying. And, we were able to learn the baby's gender! See Malachi's video at the end of the post.

After our appointment, we went to Starbucks to re-stock our coffee supply and ruin our appetites for dinner with rich desserts.


This was definitely the most peaceful foray we have made into Seoul, and an overall pleasant day. On the way home we modified our original choice of baby names, as reflected at the end of the video.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Malachi can Moo

I'll preface this, first, with the assertion I know Thaddeus always secretly hopes I will make when I attempt something in photoshop... So, the initial 'Mr. Malachi Can Moo Can You?' graphic was not created by him. It was me. It's supposed to be cheesy, and yes, it's also the best I can do.

Secondly, Grandmas - notice that you get an unaccountable shout-out after he makes the "Splat!" 'sound' of lightning...

And lastly, notice how he wants to begin knocking long before the 'knock-knock' sound, and how he has to physically restrain his knocking hand with his other hand until he is finally able to unleash the knock? It's one of his more endearing quirks, so far, I think. Enjoy.